Review of Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) by Aidan H — 07 Aug 2010

This wooden tale of three girls' heroic walk across the outback fails due to the ineptitude of its child actors and a lack of perspective. While I'm sure it seems like the girls are escaping from a life away from their parental figures, it nevertheless portrays the children's school as infinitely preferable to their life spent living in the desert and the aid they receive whilst on their trek allows for a sympathetic portrayal of white folks (even token colonialist whitey Branagh seems to want to do the right thing in his fashion). Without bad guys to boo, this movie doesn't seem to have a emotional focus other than the kids' epic hike and it is let down by this lack of focus. That said, it does have a certain charm and its shots of the outback are spectacular. Worth a watch.

Star for the cinematography.